101 Dalmatians Meets Air Bud in Air Buddies

A few months ago, I watched Snow Buddies, the most recent in a series of films that started with Air Bud. While that first movie and its immediate sequels are about an unusually athletic golden retriever, the focus shifts to his pups in Air Buddies. Although the original dog remains involved, this might almost be called a new series. Though Snow Buddies stands fairly well on its own, Air Buddies, which I saw the other day, is the movie that establishes the personalities of the pups, so if you're inclined to watch the Buddies film, it's probably best to start with this one.

Air Buddies introduces viewers to Buddy (Tom Everett Scott) and Molly's (Molly Shannon) brood, which includes spunky Rosebud (Abigail Breslin), messy Mudbud (Spencer Fox), gluttonous Budderball (Josh Flitter), athletic B-Dawg (Skyler Gisondo) and meditative Bud-dha (Dominic Scott Kay). As the movie begins, the five rowdy pups are causing big headaches for their owners and especially their long-suffering nanny. It's time to break the pups up, and so begins an extensive process to find perfect new owner for each of the puppies. Though young Noah (Slade Pearce) is reluctant to let the puppies go, his dad (Richard Karn) is sure the time is right. The pups have similar reservations, however, and when the list is completed, they decide to run away rather than be split up.

In the process of running away, they meet up with a pair of goony thieves sent to kidnap Buddy. So it is that they inadvertently lead their parents right into the thugs' trap, leading to a story that in many ways mirrors 101 Dalmatians, with the pups in pursuit of the parents instead of the other way around. (The debt this movie owes to that animated classic is acknowledged in a scene at a drive-thru theater in which 101 Dalmatians is playing.) The stakes are lower in this case, since the would-be possessor of Buddy wants him to amuse his son, not to turn him into a fur coat. The only moderately frightening villain is the thieves' boss, Selkirk Tander (Holmes Osborne), who threatens to feed his lackeys to his tiger if they fail in their mission, but that never feels like a very real possibility. Denning (Paul Rae) and Grim (Trevor Wright) are every bit as ridiculous as Horace and Jasper, though they lack those great English accents. Rest assured, though, they take more than their fair share of pratfalls as they struggle to carry out their task.

Director Robert Vince shares writing credits with Anna McRoberts and Phil Hanley, and none of them have too much to brag about, since most of the dialogue, especially that delivered by the puppies, is pretty groan-worthy. All of the pups seem like they're trying too hard to sound hip, which results in some of what they have to say sounding dated after just a couple of years. Denning and Grim, meanwhile, are hopelessly dim, though this does make for a lot of laughs as long as you don't dwell on their inordinate foolishness.

Interestingly, my favorite characters in Snow Buddies were the sheriff and his canine deputy, and that's the case here as well, though they are different characters. In this case, they're played by Patrick Cranshaw and Don Knotts, both of whom capped long careers with this film. Knotts voices a bloodhound named Sniffer, who has a more active role in tracking down the pups' parents than his boss does. While both are comical characters, they also bring a sense of wisdom and integrity to the movie. I also enjoyed the always-amusing Wallace Shawn in his voice role as a take-charge billy goat who helps the pups, and Michael Clarke Duncan is appropriately imposing as a mentorly wolf who guides them in the last stage of their journey.

Air Buddies is not a great movie by any stretch. It's derivative, corny and filled with juvenile references to bodily functions. But kids who can't get enough of movies about puppies will probably enjoy it, and long-time fans of Knotts or Cranshaw may be interested in seeing their final roles. It's not up there with 101 Dalmatians, but anyone who likes that movie is likely to get a laugh or two out of this harmless kiddie flick.

Get LOST With Paul Simon in This SNL Christmas Collection

The tree is down, and so are the outside lights and most of the inside decorations. Holiday compilations are out of the rotation in the CD player. I almost have Christmas out of my system. Before I let it go, I have to allow myself a few more Christmas movies from my Netflix queue. Last week, I treated myself to Saturday Night Live: Christmas Past.

Released in 1999, it contains mostly sketches from the variety show's glory days, with the likes of Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase, and later Dana Carvey and Chris Farley. The most recent material includes Molly Shannon and Cheri Oteri. The special clocks in at just over an hour; while it includes 18 amusing skits, I'm sure SNL could easily release another volume, particularly with the inclusion of sketches from the last decade. I'd put in a vote for the obnoxious couple at the Christmas tree lot (2005) and, dare I confess, 2006's phenomenally popular music video starring Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake. What this collection gives us is a range of material, most of it slightly off-color.

Christmas Eve At The White House - Chevy Chase does his usual Gerald-Ford-is-a-klutz shtick, and it's pretty funny, though extremely ridiculous. In Chase's hands, the poor president can't do anything right; he is unable to follow simple instructions for how to give his Christmas address; he hangs his children's stockings upside-down; he knocks over the Christmas tree. Pure slapstick, and bearing very little resemblance, I'm sure, to the real guy.

Opening Montage - Bill Murray does an opening monologue, and when Santa (Dan Aykroyd) shows up, he has all sorts of great stuff to say about him. Nothing objectionable about this one, but it seemed very short.

Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood on Christmas - I'm not sure I want this guy as my neighbor. Eddie Murphy spoofs Mr. Rogers in a ghetto version of the beloved man in the sweater. Actually, he's everything Mr. Rogers isn't, as he demonstrates when, clad in a Santa suit, he opens his sack of stolen toys and confides his plan to make a killing by ringing a bell and holding out a Salvation Army kettle. Murphy is a funny guy, but I'm not sure this one sits so well with me...

Delicious Dish - The two most boring women on the planet (played by Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer) host a holiday edition of their NPR cooking show. Their special guest is a baker (Alec Baldwin) with the last name Schwetty whose specialty is "balls". You know, like Russian tea cakes and doughnut holes. It's ever so benign, but the three take the opportunity to cram as much innuendo into one sketch as they possibly can. I think I saw this one live; certainly it's shown up in a bunch of SNL clip shows. It's Austin Powers-style naughty.

Church Chat - Dana Carvey is the persnickety "Church Lady" who invites guests onto her show just to scold them. Pretty funny, especially since I definitely know a few people like that. After two guests, one of them Danny Devito as himself, get a stern tongue-lashing, the Church Lady rocks out on the drums, and Devito does some festive singing.

Martha Stewart's Topless Christmas Special - This bizarre segment features Ana Gasteyer as Martha Stewart, cheerfully instructing anyone who cares to listen on the finer points of merrymaking, such as making a ludicrously complicated table decoration, though of course she claims that it's simple. For the most part, though, the humor derives from the fact that she is conducting her entire show topless (with a strategically placed black bar, of course). Um... why?

Hannukah Song - Ah, finally we're getting to the really good stuff. My second-favorite segment on the DVD, this has Norm McDonald at the news desk introducing Adam Sandler, who strums his guitar and sings a career-making song about all the famous people who are Jewish, so as to help Jewish kids to feel a little less left out around Christmastime. Funny, informative, even somewhat touching, this one is a winner, and I always turn up the volume when it comes on the radio in December.

A Holiday Wish - Steve Martin sits in a cozy easy chair and expounds upon what he would ask for if he had just one wish for Christmas. It starts out very warm and fuzzy but quickly degenerates as he adds more and more wishes, each less sentimental than the last. With a bit of a 12 Days of Christmas feel to it - though, thankfully, he stops long before 12 - this is dryly amusing but also considerably crass.

Matt Foley: Motivational Speaker - Phil Hartman hires Matt Foley (Chris Farley) to be the Santa in his shopping mall. I've been subjected to many skits in this series, and all of them give me a headache. Farley's vocal delivery makes me want to hit "mute" after a few seconds. My brother Nathan thought this one, which featured Sally Field as a furious mom and a slew of kids - an unusual sight on SNL - was hilarious, but I wasn't too impressed, aside from the rather clever way he managed to work his "van down by the river" shtick into a Visit From St. Nicholas-style Christmas story.

Consumer Probe - This one, however, had me laughing quite a bit. Candace Bergen grills a slimy toymaker played by Dan Aykroyd about the dangerous toys his company continues to make, while he tries to point out their value and convince her that even the most innocent of toys could potentially result in injury. Very funny.

Lost Ending of It's A Wonderful Life - It's William Shatner! But not for long. He merely introduces this missing ending of the Frank Capra classic. While the cast members do a pretty good job of imitating the various characters from that movie, it kinda takes the warm fuzzies out of it when George (Dana Carvey) leads the rest of the townsfolk in an angry mob against that nasty old man who stole his money.

Santa Wrap - This looks like something that could have been on American Inventor. Dan Aykroyd explains the advantage of Santa wrap, which he applies to the most unsanitary lap of a grossly inebriated mall Santa (John Belushi). A rather entertaining little commercial.

The Nigh Hannukah Harry Saved Christmas - Jon Lovitz as Hanukah Harry fills in for Santa, who is sick. A jovial fellow, he is nonetheless received with some disappointment by a pair of eagerly waiting kids when he gives them rather dull Jewish-themed gifts instead of the toys they were expecting. But it ends on a fairly heartwarming note when Santa comes anyway and the kids decide that Harry, too, is worthy of appreciation.

Deserted Island Christmas - I would have been very disappointed if this hadn't been included. In fact, it was the main reason I rented the DVD. I saw this on a television Christmas special once, and I absolutely adored it. Paul Simon? Desert island? Talk about a winning combination! He and Victoria Jackson are a couple stranded for Christmas, but they don't care too much. They're going to make a celebration of it anyway, and Paul feels rather pleased with himself over the potholders he's made and the fancy shells he's found as gifts for his ladylove... until she reveals an exquisite handmade watch and telescope and details how she managed to create them. Sweet and hilarious.

Winter Wonderland - Fun group song. Everybody gets involved, and as the ladies and gentlemen battle it out with their harmonies, it grows more and more chaotic.

Dysfunctional Family Christmas - More musical merriment, though it offers an awfully bleak view of the holidays. Phil Hartman and the gang advertise a collection of songs celebrating the darker side of Christmas.

Rita From Brooklyn - Outrageous New York accents rule the day as Cheri Oteri, Rosie O'Donnell and Penny Marshall duke it out over their lawn decorations until a group of caroling children change their perspective. Pretty funny.

Master Thespian - Almost a rehash of Matt Foley, with Jon Lovitz in the Santa suit instead this time. Phil Hartman is the mall manager again, and once more he finds he's got a little more than he bargained for with this overdramatic St. Nick. I like it better than the Chris Farley one, but it might have been nice to end the disc on something a little less repetitive.

All told, it's a moderately entertaining collection, but the crude nature of most of the sketches makes it a DVD I wouldn't go out of my way to include in the yearly holiday rotation. If you've ever gotten a laugh out of SNL, though, give it a shot. For my money, it's worth a look just for Deserted Island Christmas. Now if they only could have gotten Paulie to sing the Gilligan's Island theme song...

Carell and Freeman Keep Carrey-less Evan Almighty Afloat

Four years ago, I went to see Bruce Almighty on opening night, having been tipped off about it at a Don McLean concert in Buffalo the previous year. My interest was sufficiently piqued, and the movie didn't disappoint. So when I heard about the sequel, Evan Almighty, earlier this year, I was eager to check it out. Though the lack of Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston - who were asked to reprise their roles and declined - was potentially ominous, given the nature of the film it seemed plausible for a legitimate sequel to focus on an entirely different group of people, as long as God was still in the picture. With Morgan Freeman back on board, joined by Steve Carell and a huge assortment of animals, the film had promise. And then the reviews started rolling in, and I wondered whether this would be another of those disastrous sequels that would manage to sap life out of the original by mere association.

So I was pleasantly surprised to disagree with Richard Roeper and a host of other critics. Maybe I'm just not sophisticated enough, but I found Evan Almighty thoroughly enjoyable, starting with the previews, which not only announced VeggieTales' second big screen adventure but also gave me a Dick King-Smith adaptation about the Loch Ness Monster to look forward to. These family-friendly previews gave me a good sense of what sort of movie we were about to see. While Bruce Almighty was primarily aimed at adults, with a fair share of rather raunchy humor, the PG-rated Evan Almighty has much more in common with old school live action Disney flicks than contemporary comedies. The genre shift could be jarring to some, but Freeman's performance is consistent throughout the two films, tying them together.

Less consistent is Carell as Evan Baxter, the narcissistic newsman who was Bruce's rival in the original; while he comes across as a bit self-absorbed, particularly in the beginning, he soon becomes sympathetic, just an overworked guy trying to make a difference in the world but leaving his family behind in the process. I'm willing to overlook it, though, particularly since our perception of him in the first film was probably skewed by the fact that we were seeing him as Bruce was. Some of the humor in the sequel comes from the fact that Evan is an immaculately groomed neat freak who suddenly has an unshavable beard, much like Scott Calvin in The Santa Clause, and a wild assortment of animals following him around. The almost Hitchcock-esque sequences in which he is tailed by dozens of pairs of birds are among the most entertaining in the film. Once he accepts all the not-so-subtle hints, the animals become a welcome rather than oppressive presence and even manage to aid him in his divinely appointed task of building an ark.

On the home front, Evan has to deal with his wife Joan (Lauren Graham), who first chides him for being an inattentive dad and later for apparently cracking up. It does seem a little odd that the people who live with Evan would not find anything amiss in the fact that a week's worth of beard has appeared overnight, but even when Evan tells Joan about his meeting with God, she remains convinced that the hair, the boat and even the animals that seem magnetically drawn to Evan constitute some sort of massive mid-life crisis. Meanwhile, his sons - Dylan (Johnny Simmons), Jordan (Graham Phillips), and Animal Planet-addicted Ryan (Jimmy Bennett) - prefer the new Evan, since he's around a lot more.

In his new role as congressman, Evan has three close advisors: the sassy Rita (Wanda Sykes), anxious Marty (John Michael Higgins) and excessively admiring Eugene (Jonah Hill). They soon have more than they bargained for in presenting a positive image of Evan to the press, which hungrily fixates on his increasingly bizarre antics. He also has an unexpected ally, Congressman Long (John Goodman), a fat cat who happens to be Evan's neighbor in the fancy new development where he recently moved his family. This alliance quickly turns sour as it becomes clear the corrupt congressman intends to bribe and cajole the rookie into helping him pass through a bill that will allow him to develop peripheral national park lands. Goodman makes a great villain along the lines of Alonzo Hawk, the despicable developer who graced several Disney films in the 60s and 70s.

When we get wind of the piece of legislation he wants Evan to sign, its ecological bent is no surprise; the film drives home Evan's reckless consumerism early on, from his massive, gas-guzzling hummer to a conversation he has with the man building the cabinets in his new home in which he cheerfully chooses wood made from old growth trees. Stewardship of the environment forms a strong undercurrent for the story, most effectively illustrated when God shows Evan how the valley in which he lives used to look before it became a victim of urban sprawl. The other main message of the film is to treasure one's family and, more generally, to never miss an opportunity to perform an "Act of Random Kindness".

Watching the movie, I was reminded of several of director Tom Shadyac's previous films. Like Ace Ventura it concerns itself with the well-being of animals, and with so many of them on screen at once, it's sure to attract animal lovers of all ages. Like Liar, Liar, it involves a dad who's too wrapped up in his career to make time for his family. Like Patch Adams, it focuses on the importance of making life better for individuals. And, of course, like Bruce Almighty, it depicts God as compassionate and involved in our lives. Shadyac is a devout Christian attempting to bring his sensibilities to the big screen, and he succeeds in this aim especially well here. While putting words in God's mouth always runs the risk of blasphemy, Shadyac's motivation is sincere, and Freeman's gentle but insistent portrayal commands respect.

I read that Evan Almighty is the most expensive comedy ever made. While I enjoyed the film very much, I find that categorization a little strange, since comedy really wasn't the focus of this movie. There's the unfortunate barrage of defecation, particularly of the avian variety, which I suppose is hard to resist when you've got hundreds of animals and you're trying to get a laugh out of a PG crowd; thankfully, that's about the only crude humor to be found in the movie. Most of the amusing moments are visual, such as God appearing as several passersby while trying to convince Evan to build the ark or a pair of primates downing lemonade with Evan on a break from pounding boards. There's a running joke involving a silly dance that Evan does, and much as Bruce kept seeing the same mysterious phone number repeatedly, our hero can't escape the number 614, a reference to Genesis 6:14, in which Noah is commanded to build the ark. Evan's realtor (Molly Shannon) is named Eve Adams, while a movie theater marquee he passes reads The 40-Year-Old Virgin Mary. It's a funny enough movie, but it's really more of a feel-good film the whole family can enjoy together, which in a too frequently cynical age may be even better.